“Hmph… My worth cannot be measured by worldly evaluations! I am unique and absolute. Such petty insults cannot hurt me!”
Lord, my opponent, pushed back his silver bangs and smiled.
“Hey… Your legs are shaking.”
“It must be your imagination. After all, I am the hero of ‘Hardness.’ My mental strength is as strong as Orichalcum. I am not afraid of the boos around me… Not at all.”
“Let’s just say that.”
Although his knees visibly shook despite his arrogant attitude, I decided not to dig any deeper since it seemed to be his preference.
“By the way, could you stop talking like that? It reminds me of the past and makes me cringe.”
His way of speaking is so pompous and pretentious that it’s unbearable.
It’s like looking at myself in my early teens when I had that strange phase.
“I can’t do this. This is my ‘proof of existence.’ I can even say that I am existence itself. It’s impossible to throw it away!”
“Well, I don’t really care about other people’s tastes. But this appearance might make you regret it in a few years, so you should stop.”
He was dressed in a pitch-black outfit that could be mistaken for an assassin, and he also wore a black breastplate and gauntlets. His hair was silky silver, and his eyes were of different colors, red and gold, possibly due to magical tools.
Bandages wrapped around his arms like accessories, and for some reason, he wore a pitch-black cape that seemed restrictive.
I guess covering your whole body in black is cool. I went through a similar phase in the past.
But whatever. This is a double-edged sword that will eventually torment you.
This guy appears to be around seventeen years old. I don’t know when it started, but I can only offer my condolences.
“All right, you two, please start the match!”
As the commentator blew the whistle to signal the start of the match, the match began.
Like the previous matches, I tried to end this one immediately by manipulating my magic, but…
“Heheh… Mage Gunner, huh? You’re quite skilled, but you can’t defeat me. Because I am the hero of ‘Hardness’ and the ‘Abyss Watcher.'”
“Abyss Watcher?”
I tilted my head in confusion as Lord began to say things I didn’t understand.
As someone who aspires to be a hero myself, I have some knowledge of holy signs and hero-related information.
Among the abilities that the Hero of ‘Hardness’ can use, the most famous one is probably ‘Absolute Defense’.
“By surrounding myself with several layers of advanced barrier magic, I create an absolute protective barrier, a barrier magic that can only be used by the Hero of [Hardness].
The defensive power of this barrier is similar to the absolute defensive power of the multi-layered Imperial-class protective barriers. According to the information in the Holy Seal Encyclopedia, even when it was exposed to the breath of an S-class dragon, it didn’t even get a scratch.
However, I’ve never heard of the specific term “Abyss Watcher” in the Hero’s Encyclopedia. It’s a word I have a faint memory of for some reason… Could it be some kind of special magic that only this person can use?
Being cautious of unknown magic…
“Yes, I am the ‘Abyss watcher’. The existence that destroys all evil and eagerly awaits the return of the ‘King’, serving as the ‘Successor’. And…”
As he says this, Lord takes something thick and book-like out of his pocket.
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“This scripture, the ‘Genesis of Abyssal Annihilation’, is my bible! It changed my life, the ‘Book of the King’! …Haha, it must be enviable!”
“…Hmm? Wait a minute. That, somewhere…”
Excitedly showing off, the lord looks intently at the book-like thing they call the ‘King’s Book’.
It has a black cover and emanates a sinister magical power, similar to a Grimoire… Somehow, I feel like I’ve seen it before.
Furthermore, just looking at it gives me a really unpleasant sensation.
It’s as if I could start writhing and flailing around in agony at any moment…
“Indeed, I became a Hero to serve the ‘King’ who wrote this scripture—’G-Zero.’ Oh, my King! I long to meet you soon…!”
“…Can I see that for a moment?”
“Huh? Haha, so you too are interested in this ‘King’s Book’ created by the King… But! This is the only one in the world, my bible! I don’t mind spreading it through word of mouth, but I cannot let you touch it! …After all, this is the ‘King’s Book’ that I desperately repaired and restored using restoration magic multiple times!”
“Hand it over. I’ll burn it right now.”
As soon as I remembered, I felt an impulse to burn the ‘King’s Book’ that Lord is holding right now.
The cool looking cover.
The name ‘G-Zero’, the familiar term ‘Abyss Watcher’.
What Lord is holding is undoubtedly the black history notebook I impulsively wrote five years ago, the notebook I burned to ashes myself.
“Give it to me now. I will make it disappear completely from this world.
First of all, I’m sure that I burned the black history notebook completely in the past.
I burned it without leaving a trace, making it impossible to recover, and I scattered it in the deepest part of the labyrinth so that no one would find it. Then why does this person have it? I don’t understand.
“Hehe… The encounter between me and the ‘King’s Book’ was truly a guide… During the exploration of the labyrinth, I diligently searched for every piece of the immense magical power hidden in the remnants of the ‘King’s Book’ at the bottom level, and carefully restored it with Restoration Magic… I still remember that encounter! It changed me!”
“What did you do with it?”
Come to think of it, at that time, I mindlessly thought, “If I’m going to make it, I’d better imbue it with a lot of magic power. It’ll be cooler that way.” It seems that was the reason it was restored. Isn’t that the worst?
“And my goal is only one. To meet the ‘King’ who changed me, ‘G-Zero’, and to dedicate myself as a follower! And I entered this tournament because the description said that ‘G-Zero’s hobby is collecting magical tools’-“
“Just give it to me! I’ll make sure it’s never restored again! Hurry up and give it to me!”
“Hurry up,” I urge, but Lord shows no sign of handing it over. Instead, he start talking about how ‘G-Zero’ has changed him and begin to preach.
I wanted to resolve this peacefully, but it seems difficult. We’ve been talking for a long time since the match started and the crowd is starting to boo. Let’s just finish it.
“The ‘King’ hasn’t shown up yet. But I have already – I have a good idea who the ‘King’ is.
“What did you say?”
I raised my hand, intending to shoot a magic bullet and make him disappear in response to Lord’s remarks. “Are you sure about that? Is there really such a ridiculous thing as a hunch?”
“I… recently, I have been speculating that among the heroes, there is a person named ‘Jirei Lāro’ who is famous and might be the ‘King.'”
There it was. It was completely exposed.
“What evidence do you have?”
“Recently, there has been talk among the heroes about a person with whom Letinoa-san, who ranks high in the hero rankings, is deeply involved. According to rumors, this person possesses ‘absolute power that cannot be defeated by anyone’, ‘an affection for the people that can be called the greatest of all heroes’, ‘a liking for magical tools’, and ‘is a member (planned) of Letinoa-san’s group’.”
“That person… did it…!”
It seems like Leti said a lot of things. What a mess.
There’s absolutely no plan for me to join Leti’s party, nor do I have any trace of affection. My image has been completely misconstrued.
“With this, it aligns with the image I had envisioned. Jirei Laro, the ‘King,’ also shares an unmatched fondness for magical tools. The names ‘Jirei’ and ‘G-zero’ are similar… There’s no doubt that this is the ‘King’!”
(T/N: G = Ji, Rei = Zero)
Road confidently exclaimed, extending his arms wide. I feel like dying.
…I absolutely cannot let it slip that I wrote that embarrassing black history note. If it’s exposed, I’ll be mortified. It’s too embarrassing, it would crush my spirit.
“Hehe… it appears that ‘other heroes have also started to make their move.’ I must find Jirei Zero swiftly and make them my servant! Ah, I can’t wait…”
“Other heroes? They’ve started acting?”
I heard a word that I find unforgivable.
“That Letinoa-san is someone worth being closely associated with, right? Moreover, she hasn’t officially joined a party yet… In a place where heroes always seek out talented individuals, competition is only natural. And of course, I won’t be an exception!”
“This is the worst. It’s terrible.”
I didn’t want to hear that kind of information.
Dealing with Leti alone is already troublesome. It’s dreadful to even think about other heroes.
“Heh… you seem surprised. It might be an insignificant matter for someone like you, a ‘D-class adventurer,’ right? Hm? Come to think of it, I heard that Jirei Lāro is also a ‘D-class’…? Now that I think about it, the name ‘Reiji’ sounds somewhat similar…”
“It’s just your imagination. Don’t dwell on it any longer.”
I halt Road, who starts pondering with his chin resting on his hand. He may appear foolish, but he’s surprisingly sharp.
“Well, whatever. If I win this tournament and secure the magical tool as the prize, I’m sure I’ll gain the attention of the ‘King.’ That’s why I’ll make you lose. —- ‘Absolute Defense.'”
After flicking his bangs, Road strikes a cool pose and activates “Absolute Defense.”
According to the information I saw in the Holy Seal Guide… in the past, heroes with the hardness attribute maintained an unreasonable defense while using holy swords and large shields to attack. But this guy doesn’t seem to be drawing a long sword that looks like a holy sword from his waist, and he doesn’t even move from his cool pose. What is he doing?
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